Ānrén

Anren lies west of the Luoxiao Mountains in southeastern Hunan, on the Yongle River. Local tradition tells of Shennong, the divine farmer, teaching the people to till the soil and testing herbs here. At the spring equinox, a gathering associated with his worship brings traders together to exchange medicines and farming implements.

The county's first gazetteer was compiled between the Hongwu and Yongle reigns of the early Ming. Later officials repeatedly revised the record, preserving accounts of the district across the centuries. The river flowing through Anren, known in ancient sources as Rong Water, rises in the mountains to the east before making its way through the county.